Barnabus is a
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
-based
Christian charity that offers support to homeless and vulnerable people through its drop-in centre. The charity has a small team of staff including support workers and around 70 volunteers.
History
Barnabus began in 1991, as founder Peter Green took to the streets of the city with a bag of sandwiches and a
thermos flask, meeting the homeless and giving out food to those in need. In 2000 the Beacon Drop-In Centre was opened.
The boxer
Ricky Hatton
Richard John Hatton (born 6 October 1978) is a British former professional boxer who competed between 1997 and 2012, and has since worked as a boxing promoter and trainer. During his boxing career he held multiple world championships at l ...
became a patron for Barnabus in 2013. In 2014 Manchester nightclub
Sankeys teamed up with Barnabus, donating unclaimed items from the club’s cloakroom to the charity.
Beacon Drop-In Centre
The Beacon Drop-In Centre is located on Bloom Street in
Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre is the central business district of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England situated within the confines of Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way which collectively form an inner ring road. ...
.
It is open five days and five evenings, offering food, clean clothing, blankets, hot showers and dignity/toiletry packs for the homeless community. The centre receives around 600 visits per week. Visitors are able to take part in English, maths and IT classes, as well as arts and crafts and other social and community-building activities. Basic first aid is also offered two evenings a week by voluntary nurses and paramedics.
Street Soccer
In 2005, Barnabus and Manchester City Mission came together to establish the Street Soccer initiative, which offered homeless men a chance to get involved in organised football activities. Today Street Soccer operates in five boroughs and has regular contact with 50 men of all ages.
Awards and recognition
In 2005 Barnabus received
Queen Elizabeth II’s ‘Unsung Heroes’ award for Voluntary Service.
[{{cite web , url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wms/?id=2005-06-06a.33WS.6 , title=Home Department written statement , first=Paul , last=Goggins, publisher=TheyWorkForYou , date=2 June 2005 , accessdate=20 August 2015]
References
External links
Barnabus website
Charities based in Manchester
Homelessness charities in the United Kingdom